The Peninsula Tokyo — Hotel in Tokyo

This is our first time staying at the Peninsula hotel. It was a good experience but not significantly memorable or remarkable. The service was inconsistent and the hospitality could have been better. The location is great; there is a direct way from within the hotel to the subway, and the JR train station is within walking distance. ||Starting from check-in, we arrived in the evening. We went to the check-in counter, proceeded with the check-in process and later was hosted to the room for in-room check-in. If we’re supposed to have in-room check in, stopping by the check-in counter would be unnecessary. The staff could have greeted us as soon as the hotel limousine dropped us off and escorted us to the room directly. ||The executive suite room is phenomenal. It’s in the corner of the building so we can have a wide-view of the Ginza area including a view of the top of Tokyo tower! We appreciate the hotel proactively arranged an extra bed for our son in living room, but we informed the check-in staff that we don’t need it and asked to take it out which he acknowledged. We stepped out for dinner and returned to the room to find the extra bed is still there. It could be misunderstanding or could be short of staff on the new year night but would it be nicer to put some note to let us know if it can’t be done on that night?||The room has all you need - complementary drinks, water, clean Nespresso machine with capsules, wine glass/regular glass, good quality of hair dryer, bathroom amenities kits were fully filled up everyday and fancy automated bidet. The hotel shows their equity and inclusion value by providing kid size bath robe, in-room slipper, toothbrush, at-pool flip flop and floaty for kids who need. ||The welcome fruits and welcome cute chocolates are good treats. And the experience would be great if the attention to detail is more consistent … we used the plates on one night, the dirty plates were taken away in the next day but the clean plates and silverware haven’t been back filled while some fruits and treats are still left. Would it be nicer to proactively continue the backfill (snack plate and silverware) until at least the guest finished all the treats or ultimately during a whole staying periods? One night, there’s a note to tell story of one special treat. We love it. We love to learn about beautiful culture of each country. Too bad, that was one and only night that we see personal touch. There was no any note to wish us good night like other hotels we stayed. Actually, a note to teach us Japanese word, it would be great as well. ||One early evening, we were hanging out in the room which it’s at the time that the staff will drop off the sweets for the night. We received the sweets from her and expressed our thanks. Later, we stepped out for dinner. We came back and found that the room was not turned down. Perhaps they assumed we stayed in the room the entire evening. But, why not just call to the room when it’s time to turn down to see if we’re in / out or even ask if the turndown is required?||We tried breakfast at the lobby restaurant. The traditional Japanese breakfast was simple and tasty. Kids meal was presented well. We realized in the 2nd day that we’re supposed to have a welcome drink and assorted bread served along with the meal. We also tried the Peter restaurant, the tasting menu was ok but the presentation was beautiful. In-room service was good., we tried the acclaimed ippudo ramen which was delicious and beautifully presented. The Tonkatsu pork was the best!||The swimming pool is so beautiful and the staff are very proactive and friendly. They stepped in to greet and guide us to change the shoes, set up the seats, towels, water and swimming caps are provided. They even sent us off at the door. ||5 night later, it was time to check-out. Again, we couldn’t feel the warm, friendly hospitality. We were checked out by a different staff member while the staff member who checked us in was standing next to him. It’s interesting that the check-in staff didn’t step in or greet us but instead allowed his colleague to confirm common items… room number, name etc. We wonder if we didn’t say good bye first, will he even say good bye to us and with our name?!? ||The hotel interior is beautiful with master piece of art. It is really beautiful but no charm. Under the name of Peninsula and especially in the Japan location, we would expect the hotel could have done better. There is one entrance via lobby to go to the hotel room but only a few times that we will hear .. good morning, good afternoon, good evening - regardless the language. There was nothing above and beyond for such “have a good day”, “anything we can help”, “welcome back”, “how’s your day”, etc. We first thought that it could be a language barrier but if we’re comparing with the officer at train station who could barely speak English … we could feel his hospitality to guide us how to get the train ticket … this could be something more than just language. So, it’s probably good that the checkout staff didn’t ask us if we will return for...

Just reviewed our stay this week in Seoul and realized I hadn't done our Tokyo trip last September 2024. Stayed almost a week in a Deluxe suite at the Pen Tokyo. We had previously stayed at the Pen in HK and NYC. Had RR transfer from Haneda (warm chatty chauffeur was it Kato?) and were greeted by the Guest Manager Zach who showed us to our room. Our pre-ordered baby items, lego table and toys were in the room as was the shower chair (disability). ||Rooms were well-appointed, luxurious, spotless and spacious although obviously designed a decade earlier than our rooms in Seoul. Nice touches when the hotel has the whole building to itself like the powered scroll-down blackout blinds (best blackout effect) and the little gutter around the built-in tub so no wet floors at bath time and water from the wall, and nicely integrated switching system for HVAC, lighting and audio, even a nail dryer. Discreet digital wall clock, thermometer, humidity monitor- all hotels should have this. We have a thermometer and hygrometer at home too so was nice to see this. Interesting wall radio system although both TV's not the most recent. In-room fax and copier which we didn't use. Sandwich and Udon in the lobby before bath and early bedtime after a day flight. Bath amenities were excellent size in aluminium tubes and bottles and we liked the aluminium water bottles which we also had at the MO.||Had emailed the concierge service prior although they couldn't get the meal reservations we wanted (I think MO was maybe a bit better at this). We got the seats at Pizza Bar on 38th through our own connections. Pity L'Effervescence was unavailable this trip. But they helped with our other meal destinations which they recommended, our itinerary for kid entertainment, toy shops, Legoland, Aquarium and tickets to Tokyo Tower and the Zoo etc. Nice to have complimentary car transfers to dinner every night. We usually take taxis anyway because of the wheelchair. One evening the concierge sent us to an izakaya in an old shophouse with only stair access (even for goods!) and the driver had left so we were in the rain, in a wheelchair. A frantic call to the hotel got another car back to us while we sheltered with the wheelchair in the stairway entrance. They brought us to a sukiyaki place and the dinner was nice enough but we were a bit frazzled already. Akane (Concierge Manager) and Chika (Front Desk Manager) were effusively apologetic (in person, a nice touch) and sent us some sweets and fruits when we returned but I guess that would still count as an uneven experience. ||The rest of the stay was generally pleasant. Breakfast staff were excellent and we never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table in the lobby. Thanks to Kurumi who figured out our request for soft-boiled eggs (warm onsen eggs), which our child eats. The breakfast was better than most other places with one Japanese option and several Western options, we tried them all. Bread tray was expansive and brought to our table. I enjoyed the Japanese option which was the usual grilled fish of the day and rice with side dishes, but well-executed. A few hotel restaurants needed us to get a private room if we wanted to bring our toddler so we mostly had the concierge plan our other meals out around our itinerary. I had the chance to go to a nearby ramen bar on my own one afternoon which was great me-time.||The hotel location was excellent and we had views of Hibiki park and the palace gardens. I enjoyed my morning runs looping around the gardens and we managed to visit one of the days. Did a little shopping in Ginza but that kind of thing was more important when were younger. The heated pool is one of the better ones in Tokyo hotels and we enjoyed it. The jacuzzi pool has a nice view of the sunset over the palace gardens if I remember correctly. ||Pizza bar on 38th was excellent and they were particularly nice to our little child. Zach saw us off for the RR transfer to Narita and the airport concierge escorted us with our luggage to the airline desk where the crew took over so it was pretty...

We stayed here in late July, specifically to see the Sumida River Fireworks show. When looking to book, we knew that we wanted a spacious Suite with multiple bathrooms, since we were expecting to host some family and friends prior to departing for the fireworks. Anticipating that it would be a HOT day (37 Celsius with humidity, as it turns out), we took no chances and reserved a large shuttle van to transport a large party from the Peninsula to the boat dock (we rented a private boat for the fireworks.)||As was previously the case, among the top luxury brands The Peninsula was a better value compared to Suite rooms that had a spacious living room and two bathrooms. For our third stay here went bigger than before - a 116m² Deluxe Suite that was very smartly laid out. Ample space galore, and the layout was perfect. A guest bathroom near the entrance, a separate entryway that led to a large vanity area, which then split into two corridors that led to the master bedroom (and bathroom beyond) and a huge "closet" area (it was almost the size of an actual room), with plenty of space to hang tons of clothes, as well as a large number of dresser drawers and an area to place at least two large rollaboards, opened up, and side-by-side.||The living room, master bathroom and bedroom had floor-to-ceiling windows with different views - the Deluxe Suite is a corner room so there's good privacy (especially noise wise) and a decent view of the Imperial Park and the Shinjuku skyline beyond. It's not as unobstructed of a view as what you'd get at The Palace Hotel (the best view among all hotels in Tokyo), but it was still an impressive sight.||While the Peninsula is not the newest kid on the block, it was still well maintained, and the bright and airy decor, combined with relatively high ceilings and large glasses everywhere, gave it a modern, airy feel. We prefer rooms that have more muted tones, unlike some of the more garish luxury hotels we've experienced elsewhere.||The Peninsula can get a bit hectic in the lobby area, since there's a large lobby lounge in the center of the reception area that serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Therefore, it's always crowded with guests, including drop-ins (people not staying there.) However, once you get to the room, things become quaint and tranquil. Note that there is no club lounge at the Peninsula.||Service was solid with no service hiccups. We were particularly impressed with the Guest Relations personnel, specifically Mr. Hiramori. He was extremely responsive and attentive in our pre-arrival communication (both over the phone and via email), and helped get us the two private vehicles to take us to and from the boat docks. It was promptly and professionally done, and it's apparent that he takes great pleasure in bringing joy to the hotel's guests. We also reserved pick-up (and drop-off) service at Tokyo Station.... yes, it's only a 10 minute walk to the property, but with a load of luggage and the searing heat outside, we were more than happy to have a representative greet us as we got off the Shinkansen platform, grab our luggage, whisk us into the Toyota Century (the Rolls Royce of Japan) and have us driven 5 minutes to the hotel. We asked for the same thing upon departure, and it was equally convenient and pleasurable.||There are definitely newer (Four Seasons Otemachi), more blingy (Bulgari), more classic (Palace) and more expensive properties (Aman) close by, but when comparing rates at similar room categories, it's hard to ignore the value that The Peninsula brings to the...